History
Although authorized in 1946, it was not until 1947 that the first Army of Occupation Medals were distributed. The first medal was presented to General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower who had been the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force Commander during World War II.
Because of the legal status of West Berlin, as an occupied territory until the unification of Germany, the Army of Occupation Medal was issued for forty five years making it one of the longest active military awards of both the Second World War and the Cold War.
In addition, some recipients of the award were born two generations after the end of the conflict which the medal was designed to represent. Much like the National Defense Service Medal, the Army of Occupation Medal has come to be considered a "multi-generational" award.
Read more about this topic: Army Of Occupation Medal
Famous quotes containing the word history:
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